Authorities: Savannah police officer kills handcuffed man who had gun

(CNN) -- A Savannah, Georgia, police officer killed a handcuffed, and apparently armed, man on Thursday as the man allegedly tried to bust out of a patrol car, a shooting the city's mayor acknowledged has left her "community with many questions."

Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Chief Julie Tolbert has asked that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation look into the shooting, which occurred shortly after 11 a.m. in the historic coastal city.

According to the GBI, based on its preliminary investigation, officers arrested 29-year-old Charles Smith on outstanding warrants and handcuffed him behind his back.



Smith was put into a police car, where he managed to move his hands to the front of his body and kicked out one of the vehicle's windows.

"The officers said, as Smith attempted to exit the patrol car, they saw that he had a firearm," the GBI said in its statement. "This encounter resulted in Smith being shot and killed at the scene."

A firearm was later found under Smith's body, the GBI reported.

Dozens of people in the predominantly African-American neighborhood gathered in the hours after the shooting around the scene, which was cordoned off by police tape.

Some of them cried and hugged, a few appeared outwardly angry, a handful carried signs to voice their views, according to video from CNN affiliate WTOC. At one point, many of them -- including some children -- joined hands in a circle.

Mayor Edna Branch Jackson said that after talking to "the victim's family" and West Savannah residents, she shares "many of (their) questions" on the incident, concerns she has relayed to police officials.

"When the answers come, we will be open, transparent and forthcoming," vowed Jackson, who said she is "distressed" about the shooting, in a statement. "We will remain in continuous communication with the family. For now, I hope the citizens of Savannah will join me in remaining calm and patient as authorities gather the facts."

The police chief -- who, like the mayor, is African-American -- also voiced this view directly to those congregating in West Savannah.

"This will be cleared up. This will be cleared up," Tolbert said. "We don't need anything to happen. And we are going, we are going to keep the family and the community informed of everything that is going on. Now, does that sound fair?"

Tolbert told those gathered that the investigation is "going to take time." In the meantime, "What we are asking you to do is not jump to conclusions, not make rash decisions, not ... do something that will cause you problems."

The GBI pledged it will "thoroughly investigate this incident to determine exactly what occurred." That includes an autopsy on Smith to be conducted in Savannah.

"When the investigation is completed, the findings will be turned over to the Eastern Judicial District Attorney's Office," the GBI said.

David Jannot, a 10-year veteran of the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police department, has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, police said in a statement. The police chief, Tolbert, told reporters that such leave is in line with "proper protocol."

As to Smith, the man Jannot killed, a friend described him as "cool people."

"He was willing to help out," Joe Strobert told WTOC. "He was willing. If you ... needed help, he got you."




CNN's Suzanne Presto contributed to this report.